Automatic car stop and derailer.



B. N. DAVIS. AUTOMATIC OAR STOP AND DERAILER. APPLICATION IiLED NOV. 18, 1913.

Patented-July '7, 1914.

2 SIHEBTS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

B. N. DAVIS. AUTOMATIC GAR STOP AND DERAILER.

' 91a. 1 APPLICATION FILED NOV 1? 1 Patented July 7, 1914' I 2 SHEBTS-SHBET 2.

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I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I l I I WWII/am 7% THE NORRIS PETERS CO" PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

BEMISS N. DAVIS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

AUTOMATIC CAR STOP AND DERAILEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7 191a.

App1ieation filed November 18, 1913. Serial No. 801,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BEMISS N. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have in-. vented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car Stops and Derailers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic car stops and derailers.

The purpose for which my invention is primarily designed is to provide an efficient brake and positive stop for street cars approaching an intersecting interurban or steam road over which a train is passing, to prevent the car from crashing into the other train, which might occur, due either to the failure of the Car brakes to work, to a slippery condition of the rails, or from other causes. However, my invention is not limited to this particular adaptation, but can be utilized. in braking, stopping and, if necessary, derailing a car when the same passes a traffic controlling device, which is set to in dicate to the operator of the car that the condition of the track, in advance thereof, is dangerous.

To accomplish these results, my invention consists of a section of track continuous with a main track, which section of track has relatively movable rails, together with means, which are preferably controlled by trafiic conditions, for effecting the relative movement of the rails to, and for maintaining them in, a position in which the gage of the rails of the section will gradually vary in the direction of the line of travel of the car. When the wheels of the car pass onto the rails of this section, the flanges of the wheels will be gripped by the rails to brake and stop the car under ordinary running conditions, but if the momentum of the car is great, the wheels will finally jump the rails and derail the car before it passes into the danger zone.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the main track having associated therewith a section of track with movable rails and operating mechanism therefor which embody the features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 the rails being shown in cross section.

The rails 1, 1 of the main track are of a fixed gage and the cars and trains pass over them in the direction of the arrow, my invention being primarily designed for one way traflic. interposed at a desirable point in the main track, and ordinarily immediately in advance of a danger zone, are mov able rails 2, 2 which may be of any desired length depending upon the conditions under which the cars are to be braked and stopped, the preferable construction being to make the rails of as great a length as is practical in order to effect the gradual reduction of the speed of the car and to effectually bring the same to a stop without derailing it. The rails 2, 2 are pivoted to the rails of the main track as at 3, 3 so that they will be continuous therewith in the direction of the line of travel of the cars. In the preferred construction, when it is desired to stop a car, the rails 2 are moved to a position in which the gage oi these rails gradually increases in the direction of the line of travel, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The rails 2 are therefore provided with flanges 4 similar to the flanges used to confine the car wheels to the rails when rounding curves, which flanges are adapted to cause the flanges of the car Wheels to grip the rails when they are in their moved pos tion, which gripping action will tend to brake and stop the car.

The mechanism for moving the rails will now be described. Each of the rails 2 is connected by rods 5 preferably through a resilient connection which will be hereinafter referred to, to a lever 6 which is pivotally mounted on one of the ties of the road bed or otherwise as at 7, the rods 5 being connected to the lever 6 by the pivots 8 preferably equi-distant from the pivot 7 and on opposite sides thereof. One arm of the lever 6 is extended, and has connected thereto, a sliding rod 9 which passes transversely to the tracks, through a slide or guide 10 and is connected to the free end of one link of a toggle joint 11. The free end of the other link of the toggle joint 11 is pivotally mounted in an immovable support 18, fastened to a plate 14, carried by the road bed. The knuckle or knee of the toggle joint 11 is connected to one end of a reciprocating rod 15, the other end of this rod being pivoted as at 15, to the gate or barrier 16. This barrier 16 is of the usual construction and is rotatably mounted in a support 17 so that it may be moved from its normal vertical position to a horizontal position transverse to the track, the gate berails toward each other to a determined exing preferably counterweighted at one end to facilitate its movement.

While I have shown a gate or barrier such as is commonly used for obstructing the passage of a car at the intersection with another line, yet it is not my intention to limit my invention to the particular form of trafic controlling device, as it is apparent that the toggle joint may be controlled by any form of device whether the same be operated manually or automatically by the passage of the train, the essential feature being that the toggle joint will be operated to move the rails of the sections out of alinement with the main track when the traflic conditions are such that it is absolutely imperative that the train should be stopped before passing out of the movable section, even if it is necessary to derail the car to do so.

Preferably, I interpose between the rods 5 and the rails 2, coiled springs 18, the ends of which are secured in grooves in cylindrical lugs 19 and 20, projecting from the ends of the rods 5 and the rails 2, respectively.

The springs permit the rail sections to yield to a determined degree under the pressure created by the flanges of the car wheels gripping the flanges of the rails as will be clear from the operation which is in part obvious from the description herein, but will now be set out in brief.

Assuming that the direction of the line of travel of the car is in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1, and that the condition of the track in advance of the movable rails is in a dangerous condition, so that the barrier or gate 16 is moved to its position obstructing passage along the track. This movement will cause the rod 14 to be moved downwardly and throw the toggle joint 11 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, that is, with the knuckle of the toggle joint 11 below dead center and bearing against the plate 14:. The rails 2 of the movable section will then be in dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, the rails diverging gradually from each other in the direction of the line of travel of the car.

When a car enters upon the section and it is impossible to stop it due to defective brakes, slippery track conditions or other causes, the flanges of the car wheels will grip the flanges of the rail sections and as the car I proceeds into the section, will tend to force the immovable track rails toward each other, to make them conform to the gage of the wheels. This movement of the rails will be resisted by'the rod 5, lever 6, rod 9 and tog gle joint 11, which will be immovable .for in this position of the toggle joint, its knuckle is below dead center and bears directly against the plate 14:. The springs 17 interposed between the rails 2 and the rods 5 will, however, permit movement of the track tent, and the gripping action between the flanges of the rail sections and the wheels will gradually effect the stopping of the car under normal conditions.

If either through the carelessness of the operator, or for other causes, the car is not completely stopped when the springs 18 have been fully compressed, the further movement of the car along the track rails will result in the derailment thereof, as the rails 2 are rendered immovable since the coils of the spring 18 when fully compressed abut each other and form with the rod 5 a rigid connection which is held immovable by the lever 6, rod 9 and toggle 11, the toggle being in its locked )osition' and. resting against the plate 14, as s own in dotted lines in Fig. 1, where it will remain notwithstanding the pressure to which the rails may be subjected by the wheels of a passing car. It will therefore be seen that where the device is used at the intersection of two railroads, that in the ordinary operation of the street car, the momentum of the car will not be vsuflicient to drive the same along the movable track rails to a point where it will be de railed especially if the long rails are used, but if through carelessness on the part of the operator, the car is driven at full speed up to the barrier or track controlling device, then the car will be derailed thus eliminating all possible'chance of one car crashing into another passing at an angle thereto.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, both rails of the track section are movable, but it is evident that if desired, only one rail may be made movable and also, instead of moving the railsto a position where they diverge in the direction ofthe line of travel, my invention also contemplates a construction in which the reverse is true, that is, the rails are arranged so that they will converge, in which event, it will be unnecessary to provide the rails with additional flanges.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination with a main track, of

a section of track forming a continuation thereof in the direction of the line of travel, the rails of said section being relatively movable, and means for, eifecting the movement of the said rails to a position where the gage of the track section varies gradually in the direction of the lineof travel and for holding said rails in their moved position against the pressure created by the wheels of a'car passing over said rails. v

2. The combination with a main track, of a section of track forming a continuation of the main track in the direction of the line of travel, the rails of said section being relatively movable, traffic controlling means for controlling the movement of the said rails to a position where the gage of the track section varies gradually in the direction of the line of travel and means for holding said rails in their moved position against the pressure created by the wheels of a car passing over said rails.

3. The combination with a main track, of a section of track forming a continuation of the main track in the direction ofthe line of travel, the rails of said section being relatively movable, and means for effecting the movement of the said rails to a position where the gage of the track section varies gradually in the direction of the line of travel and for holding said rails in their moved position against the pressure created by the wheels of a car passing over said rails, said means comprising a traflic controlling device, a toggle joint operated therefrom and connections from said joint to at least one of the said rails.

4,. The combination with a main track, of a section of track forming a continuation thereof in the direction of the line of travel, the rails of said section being relatively movable, and means for effecting the movement of the said rails to a position where the gage of the track section varies gradually in the direction of the line of travel and for holding said rails in their moved position against the pressure created by the wheels of a car passing over said rails, said means comprising a traflic controlling device, a toggle joint operated therefrom, connections from said joint to at least one of the said rails, and a resilient member interposed in said connections.

5. The combination with a main track, of a section of track forming a continuation thereof in the direction of the line of travel, the rails of said section having flanges adapted for engagement wit-h the flanges of the car wheels, said rails being relatively movable and means for eflecting the movement of the said wheels to a position where the gage of the track section increases gradually in the direct-ion of the line of travel and for resiliently holding said rails in their moved positions against the pres sure caused by the gripping engagement of the flanges of the car wheels with the flanges of the rails.

6. The combination with a main track, of a section of track forming a continuation thereof and having one of its rails pivotally mounted, means for moving said rail out of alinement with the rails of the main track, comprising a toggle joint, a tratfic controlling device for moving said joint, connections from the said joint to said rail and a stop against which the knee of the said joint rests in the moved posi tion thereof for resisting the force exerted between the wheels of the passing car and said rails to return the rail to its normal position.

7. The combination with a main track, of a section of track forming a continuation thereof in the direction of the line of travel, the rails of said section being relatively movable, a system of linkage for effecting the movement of said rails to a position where the gage of the track section varies gradually in the direction of the line of travel and for holding said rails in their movable position against the pressure created by the wheels of a car passing over said rails, and means interposed in said system of linkage for permitting an initial yielding of said rails when in their moved position and subjected to pressure.

8. In a railway track, a movable section comprising opposite rails pivotally connected each at its corresponding end in the line of the main track, and means for moving the other ends of said rails reversely out of line with the other rails of the track.

9. In a railway track, a movable section comprising opposite rails pivotally connected each at its corresponding end in the line of the main track, and means for moving the other ends of said rails simultaneously and reversely out of line with the other rails of the track.

10. In a railway track, means for primarily applying braking pressure to the rails of a car and secondarily derailing said car, comprising a pair of opposite rails in said track pivotally secured at their corresponding ends in the line of the main track rails, said ends extending toward the coming car, and means for swinging the other ends of said pair of rails simultaneously and reversely out of line with said main track rails and maintaining the same in said adjusted position.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my sig nature, in the presence of tWo witnesses.

BEMI SS N. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

L. J. NAEF, ISABELLA HAGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

I Washington, D. 0. 

